The Papacy in the Late Middle Ages
The Council of Constance
The Council met from 1414 to 1418 and accomplished a great deal, though not all that some had hoped. The first order of business was the Schism, which it accomplished by deposing all three popes. There were even more prelates at Constance than at Pisa, and, more importantly, many of the cardinals were working actively for a resolution. The rival popes found themselves with few supporters.
Pope John went to Constance thinking to cow the attendees. Their temper was so stern, however, that he actually left town in disguise, fearing arrest. He accepted and ratified his own deposition. Gregory went through the fiction of summoning the council, even though it had had already met, then voluntarily abdicating. Benedict refused to recognize the Council or his deposition. He retired to a castle in Spain where he held out until his death in 1423, excommunicating just about everyone.
The Council elected a new pope, Martin V (1417-1431), who was a good and effective pope. His election ended the Schism, though a few pathetic remainders lasted until as late as 1429. Martin Martin returned to Rome and rebuilt papal power there and began rebuilding the city itself.
Suppression of Heresy
The most pressing issue after the ending of the Schism was that of heresy. Wyclif was much on the Council's mind and received a good deal of attention. Wycliffite ideas were condemned in detail. More spectacular, and largely unplanned, was the case of John Hus of Bohemia.
Hus had ignited a controversy over the Eucharist, claiming the right for the laity to receive both the bread and the wine at Mass. Hus had already been condemned, but he was invited to Constance to defend his views and to answer charges. Sigismund gave him an imperial safe conduct, but Hus was arrested almost immediately upon arriving. He languished for months in prison before even being allowed to speak. He was condemned by the Council as a heretic and burned at the stake in 1415. One of his chief supporters, Jerome of Prague, was also burned.
Reform of the Church
The Council did attempt to reform the Church, but most of its actions were little more than calls for the new pope to do something. Its most significant reform concerned councils in general.
The Council of Constance affirmed the supremacy of a General Council within Christendom. It went on to require the calling of a new council every five years (Frequens). The Council was clearly trying to create a kind of parliament for Christendom, an assembly to act as a counterweight to papal authority.
In fact this did not happen, as the popes quickly regained control of the Church. Martin V used a variety of tactics to avoid calling another council, and was so successful that in fact no council met during his pontificate. He also ignored most of the reforms of Constance, largely because they tended to circumscribe papal power.